Original artwork description:

Zakhar Shevchuk’s Dawning Contours (2016) is an oil on MDF created as groundwork for a larger painting on canvas. Intended as a preparatory piece, the study soon revealed an expressive quality that eclipsed the final work’s realism.

The reclining nude is painted with urgency, her body outlined through fast, layered strokes of cream, ochre, and grey. A splash of yellow near her side electrifies the otherwise subdued palette, highlighting the tension between stillness and energy. The figure is less about anatomical accuracy than about capturing the atmosphere of dawn – the quiet yet charged mood of transition.

In its rawness, the painting speaks of process and authenticity. It shows Shevchuk experimenting, breaking from classical discipline, and allowing emotion to dictate form. Collectors drawn to immediacy and painterly honesty will find this work compelling.

Although made as a study, Early Morning resonates as a painting in its own right, proving that spontaneity often reveals truths that careful finish cannot.

Materials used:

Oil

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